The Cardinals' Division I regional semifinal win over the No. 1-ranked Eagles at Byers Field was mostly a game of catch-up for Mentor, which never led until Brandon Fritts' 16-yard touchdown reception with 33 seconds left.

Who better to lead the most improbable comeback in Mentor football history?

Trubisky completed 36 of 48 passes for 478 yards and four touchdowns, all to Fritts, who had a whopping 14 catches for 243 yards. Trubisky also rushed for 98 yards on 25 carries and two more touchdowns.

The Cardinals (11-1) earn a rematch with St. Ignatius next Saturday in a Division I regional final at a site to be determined.

On this night, it wasn't all about Trubisky and the Mentor offense. The Cardinals' defense was gashed for 56 points and 482 yards through three quarters. In the fourth, though, the Mentor D allowed just 58 yards, no points and made a key fourth-down stop from their 19 with 3:33 remaining.

From there, it didn't take long for the Mentor offense to do its thing -- again. Eddie Daugherty ran 17 yards on first down, and then, on third-and-6 from Mentor's 41, Trubisky connected with -- you guessed it -- Fritts for a key 38-yard completion.

"I kept telling the coaches after every possession, 'Give me the ball, give me the ball. I'm going to make plays,' " said Fritts.

Two plays later, Fritts hauled in his final TD reception of the night in the corner of the end zone from 16 yards out, setting off a wild celebration that was finalized when Terrance Walton intercepted a Ryan Fallon pass at midfield.

"Fritzy ran a great route and got it in the end zone," said Trubisky of his game-winning TD to Fritts. "It was a great play by him."

For St. Edward (12-1), the Associated Press Division I state poll champion, it was a crushing loss, as the Eagles could not hold a 56-42 lead after three quarters. Coach Rick Finotti summed it up naming one player: Trubisky.

"We played Braxton Miller in the (2010 Division I) state championship game and (Trubisky) was extending plays just like him," said Finotti. "We couldn't stop them when it mattered most."

Finotti, the former defensive coordinator at Mayfield prior to becoming St. Edward's coach, will likely cringe when he reads this stat: The Cardinals had 34 plays of 10 yards or more on Saturday.

"Whenever we needed a big play, Mitch came up huge, and our (offensive) line played huge tonight giving him time," Fritts said.

Before the Cardinals' big fourth quarter, they were in prime position to tie the game at 42. They took the second-half kickoff from their 20 to the St. Ed 15 before two sacks of Trubisky pushed the ball back to the 32. A fourth-down pass went incomplete. Two players later, Dwayne Aaron scampered 51 yards for a TD to make it a 49-35 game. Aaron rushed for 124 yards in the third quarter.

The first half featured 14 possessions and 11 touchdowns between the teams, and not much defense. St. Edward made two stops, and Mentor made one big one.

Trailing, 42-28, with just under two minutes left in the first half, the Cardinals' defense responded with a three-and-out, the first of the game, and started the ensuing drive at their 20. One play later, Trubisky connected with Nick Delisa for 20 yards, with 15 yards tacked on following a St. Ed facemask penalty. A Trubisky 15-yard run and two completions to Conner Krizancic (10 catches, 84 yards) put the ball at the 11.

Trubisky then found Fritts in the end zone from 11 yards out to make it 42-35 at halftime.

Fallon gave the Mentor D all sorts of fits in the first half, rushing for 106 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns. Fallon's 3-yard TD run gave the Eagles a 21-7 advantage with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

Mentor didn't wilt, thanks to a robust passing attack led by Trubisky, who was 23-of-29 passing for 289 yards and two TD passes in the first half. Fritts was dominant in the first two quarters with nine catches for 156 yards and two scores, including a 33-yard TD.

Delisa finished with 138 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns and caught a 20-yard pass. Mentor finished with 726 yards of offense. The Eagles gained 540.